Electric vehicle sales across Canada hit record levels in this year’s second quarter.
The latest data from Statistics Canada shows that fully electric (BEV) and hybrid gas-electric vehicles reached their highest-ever registrations and took their highest-ever share of the automotive market during Q2 of this year.
Fully electric and hybrid vehicles now account for a record 20% of all vehicles registered within Canada. Additionally, the number of electric and hybrid vehicle registrations in Canada surpassed 100,000 in one quarter for the first time ever during Q2.
The growing adoption of electric and hybrid vehicles in Canada runs counter to global trends, where electric vehicle adoption has slowed considerably, including in the neighboring U.S.
Automotive manufacturers such as Toyota (TM) and Ford (F) have recently announced plans to slow production of fully electric vehicles as global demand weakens
Analysts say a lack of public infrastructure needed to support electric vehicles, such as charging stations, and limited battery life have made fully electric vehicles impractical for consumers.
While gas-electric hybrid vehicles have remained more popular with consumers, data shows their sales slowing as well in recent months.
But not in Canada.
Fully electric vehicle sales rose 42% between this year’s first and second quarter and were up 36% from a year earlier. Hybrid vehicle sales increased 43% year over year.
Electric vehicle sales were greatest in Quebec and British Columbia during Q2, noted Statistics Canada in its report.
Analysts say generous government subsidies aimed at encouraging consumers adoption of electric and hybrid vehicles are driving adoption throughout Canada.
